Nailing-machine



(No Model.) 5 Sheets-Sheet I.

G. GRUENDEL. NAILING MAGHINE No. 555,572. Patented Mar. 3, 1896.

(No Model.) 5 Sheets-Sheet 2.

G. GRUENDEL. NAILING MACHINE.

No. 555,572. Patented Mar. 3, 1896.

ANDR EW BLHMAMPHOTO-mnu WASHINGTGH DC (No Madel.) I 5 Sheets-Sheet 3.

V G. GRUENDEL.

NAILING MACHINE No. 555,572. Patented Mari 3, 1896.

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G. GRUENDEL.

NAILING MACHINE.

Patented Mar. 3, 1896.

No. 555,572 I z llllllllllllllllflll! lllll (No Model'.) G GRUENDEL 5 SheetsSheet 5. NAILING MACHINE.

No, 555,572. Patented Mar. 3, 1896.,

ANDREW BGRAHAM.PHO'0-LITHO WASMNFYDIQLH,

NITED STATES PATENT en.

GEORGE GRUENDEL, OF CHICAGO, ILLINOIS.

MAILING-MACHINE.

SPECIFICATION forming part of Letters Patent No. 555,572, dated March 3, 1896. Application filed March 18,1895. Serial No. 542,132. (No model.)

To all whom it may concern.-

Be it known that I, GEORGE GR'UENDEL, a citizen of the United States, residing at Ohicago, in the county of Cook and State of Illinois, have invented certain new and useful Improvements in Nailing-Machines, of which the following'is a full, clear, and exact specification.

My invention relates to nailing-machines; and the improvements have more especial reference to the feeding mechanism of that class of nailing-machines in which the nails are placed in a hopper having a jigging motion and being provided in its bottom with a slot or slots along which the nails slide into another slot or slots constituting a track or tracks for the nails and along which they slide and from which they are fed one at a time into the spout or chute, which carries them under the plunger or driver.

One of the important objects of my invention is to greatly simplify and improve the means for conveying the nail from the track or tracks to the chute which leads to the plunger or driver.

Another object of my invention is to avoid breakage of the machine in the event the nail should hang or catch in being thus conveyed from the track or tracks to the plunger-chute.

Another object is to provide simple means for accurately and readily varying the width of the nail slots or tracks.

A further object of my invention is to automatically force the nails backward away from the outlet side of the hopper when the hopper rises during the jigging motion; and a still further object is to give the hopper a yielding support with reference to the said nail-tracks, which receive the nails from the hopper and yet hold the hopper against undue displacement.

With these ends in view my invention consists in certain features of novelty in the construction, combination, and arrangement of parts hereinafter described with reference to the accompanying drawings, and more particularly pointed out in the claims.

In the said drawings, Figure 1 is a plan view of my improved apparatus, part of the slide being broken away. Fig. 2 is an enlarged detail plan view of a part of the feedslide and one of the nail tracks or slots which .lead the nails to said slide, the nails being shown in cross-section and their heads in dotted lines. Fig. 3 is a vertical longitudinal sectionalfview of my improvements taken on the line 3 3, Fig. 1. Fig. 4is an enlargeddetail sectional view taken on vthe same line, showing the conduct of the nails with reference to the hopper and fender hereinafter described. Fig. 5 is an enlarged transverse section of the hopper, showing the nails passing under the fender hereinafter described. Fig. 6 is an enlarged transverse sectional view taken on the line 6 6, Fig. 3. Fig. 7 is a side elevation of my improved apparatus. Fig. 8 is a plan of the casting in which the feed-slide is situated, the latter being removed. Fig. 9 is a front elevation of the lower part of my improved feeding mechanism. Fig. 10 is a transverse sectional view taken on the line 10 10, Fig. 3; and Fig. 11

is a transverse sectional view taken on the line 11 11, Fig. 1.

Like signs of reference indicate like parts throughout the several views.

. In illustrating my inyention I have omitted the nail-driving mechanism and also the supporting-frame of the machine, as my improved feeding mechanism is susceptible of being used in conjunction with any form of naildriving mechanism and supporting-frame.

The nails to be driven are placed in bulk in the hopper 1, whose sides and upper or outer end may be of any suitable form and construction, while its bottom is provided with one or more slots 2 through which the shanks or shafts of the nails 3 project when the supply of nails is agitated, and along which the nails slide toward the lower end of the hopper when the latter is tilted or inclined, as shown in Figs. 3 and 7. On the lower or inner side of the hopper, at each side thereof, is formed or secured a perforated ear 4 from which projects a a lug or trunnion 5, which rests in a pillow-block 6, and thus pivotally supports the hopper at one end. The other end of the hopper is supported by a connecting-bar 7, whose upper end is pivoted to an ear 8 on the bottom of the hopper, while its lower end is secured to a crank or..other suitable device (not shown) operating in unison with the naildriving mechanism, (not shown,) whereby a continuous jigging motion will be imparted to the hopper for agitating the nails therein and causing them to settle head upward in the slots 2, and to slide along such slots toward the lower end of the hopper when the pitman 7 raises the hopper into its inclined position.

The strips 10 111, which constitute the slots 2 in the bottom of the hopper, have projections l2 extending beyond the lower edge of the hopper, so as to convey the nails from the slots 2 onto one or more inclined tracks preferably constituted by so arranging two or more plates or strips 13 it as to constitute slots 15 through which the shanks or shat ts ot' the nails depend in the ordinary manner. I11 order that the projections 12 may be entirely independent of the strips 13 14, so that inthe event a nail should become wed gcd between the strips 10 11 and the strips 13 II or the movement of the lower end of the hopper should become otherwise retarded, I support the hopper yieldingly upon the pillow-blocks (3. This may be accomplished by making the seats in which the trunnions 5 rest open at their upper sides, as shown at 10 in dotted lines in Fig. 7, whereby the end of the hopper may rise with reference to the strips 13 14, and in order that in so rising the projections 12 may be given a downward movement or movement toward the strips 11: ll for impellin g the obstruction downward or along the strips 13 14, and at the same time avoiding the possibility of the hopper becoming entirely dislodged from its support, I connect the outer ends of the trunnions 5 to the fixed frames 17 by means of links 18, which are pivoted to both the said frames and trunnions. Thus it will be seen that when the lower end of the 110pper rises or strikes an obstruction its trunnions will again settle back accurately into their seats as soon as the obstruction is removed. If the obstruction not removed by the ordii'iary oscillation of the hopper its removal may be easily eillceted by forcing the lower end of the hopper upward and thus giving it the movement toward the strips 13 it before described.

The strips 10 on one side of each of the slots 2 in the bottom of the hopper are fixed, while the strips 1] constituting the opposite side of each of said slots is movable with relation to the strip 10. The strips 10 may be fixed by securing their upper ends to a depressed flange 19 formed on the casting constituting a part of the hopper, while their lower ends are secured by screws 20 to the under side of the lower end wall 21 of the hopper, such wall being provided with passages or tunnels 22 over the slots 2, whereby the nail-heads may slide along the strips 10 ll onto the tracks 13 it.

Each of the movable strips 11 has fixed to it by means of screws or rivets a bar or strip 24:, which also overlaps the fixed strip 10 in the manner more clearly shown in Fig. 5, and each of these bars 24 is secured at its lower end to a transverscly-arranged angle iron or bar 25 and at its upper end to a similar bar 26. Thus it will be seen all of the bars or strips 11 and 2t are joined together by the angle-bars 25 and 26 in the form of a rigid frame, and when these an gle-bars 25 21') are moved transversely of the strips 10 the width of the slots 2 will be increased or diminished according to the direction of movement. This adjustment of the bars 25 26 is preferably accomplished by means of a pair of eccentrics 27 28 mounted upon a common shaft 29 and working in straps 230 formed in or secured to the protruding ends of the bars 25 2b, the shaft 2!) being journaled in supports 31. In order that the parts maybe rigidly held to the proper adjustment and the shaft 29 readily rotated for altering such adjustment when desired, the shaft is provided with. an O1)Gl{ttillg-IOVG1' 32, which is provided with a bifurcation 33, embracing a segment 34 and having a set-screw whereby the lever may be locked in any desired position.

In order that the strips 10 may be better supported throughout their length, I arrange under them additional bars or strips 36, which are likewise secured to the flange 19 and end wall 21.

In order that the nails may not be thrown out of the hopper when its outer end rises and may not be thrown against the angle-bar 25 and thus clog up the outlets of the slots 2 and retard the downward course of the nails hanging in the slots 2, I locate within the hopper 1 a movable plate 37, which I shall herein term a fender, because of its function of automatically warding oil": all the nails save those which are hanging by their heads in the slots 2. This fender 37 rests upon the bottom of the hopper 1. transversely of the slots 2 when the latter is in its upward position, and moves back and forth longitudinally of such slots as the hopper rises and falls, thus produeing'a scraping action and dislodging and forcing upward into the hop per any nails whose heads project upward too far to pass through the tunnels 22, or any nails which are otherwise not in strictly the proper position to pass onto the tracks 1 14: and which would be apt to clog up the tunnels or passages 22. This scraping action of the fender 37 maybe accomplished by pivoting the fender on a ditt'crent axis from the pivot of the hopper. To do this I provide the tender with arms which are secured to a shaft 3.) journaled in standards 40, so that as the hopper rises the fender 37 will make a relative upward movement along the bottom of the hopper, and as the hopper falls the fender will move toward the outlet end of the hopper. In order, however, that any nails which by any possibility have found their way between the fender and the outlets of the hopper and which are not hanging through the slots 2 by their heads may escape past the fender back into the hopper, I cause the downward movement of the fender to cease before the downward movement of the hopper has been completed. This maybe accomplished either by so forming the fender as to be struck by the upper edge of the anglebar 25 or by, which is a preferable method, providing the shaft 39 with a stop-finger 41, which is adapted to come against some stationary part of the machine, such as the casting or bar 42.

The fender 37, it will be seen, rests upon strips 24 and does not touch the strips 11, and these strips 24 are of sufficient thickness to hold the fender above the heads of the nails while the latter are passing along the slots 2. In this way the slots 2 are provided with deep rest-flanges for supporting the nail-heads. If desired the edges of the strips 24 may be beveled, as shown in Fig. 5.

The strips 14 are secured at their upper ends to the cross-bar or casting 42 which extends athwart the machine and is secured to or formed on the side members 17 of the frame, and is provided in its under side with passages or tunnels 44 for the unobstructed passage of the nail-heads as they slide down the bars 13 14, which are inclined as usual. The lower ends of the bars 14 are secured by screws 45 to a bar or'casting 46, also supported by the side members 17 of the frame and having in its under side a number of tunnels 47 arranged one over each of the slots 15.

The strips 13 are adjustable with reference to the strips 14, whereby the width of the slots may be varied in accordance with any neccssary variation in the width of the slots 2. This adjustability of the strips 13 may be accomplished and such strips may be supported by securing them to transverse bars 48 49 at their upper and lower ends, respectively, and mounting such bars 48 49 in the side members 43 of the frame so as to slide back and forth. The adjustment of the bars 48 49 may be accomplished by means of a pair of eccentrics 50 working in straps 51 formed in the ends of the bars 48 49, and such straps being mounted upon a shaft 52 having an operating and locking mechanism 53 the same as that described for the shaft 29. The bars 48 49 are of course also providedwith tunnels 54 for the passage of the nail-heads, and which are of sufficient width to permit the passage of the largest nails to be used.

Secured to or formed on the side members 43 of the frame is a casting 55, in which are formed the funnels or chutes 56, which deliver the nails to the driving mechanism or plungers, (not shown,) the nail being usually conducted away from the funnel 56 by a tube 57 which leads. it to a position under the plunger. The greater part of the chamber of the funnel 56 is arranged to one side of the slot 15, but the casting is provided with an inlet-passage whose one portion, 58, extends under and longitudinally of the slot 15 and terminates slightly below or beyond the lower ends of the strips 13 14, which overlap the casting 55, as shown more clearly in Fig. 3. The other portion or arm, 59, of this inlet-passage turns off to one side at the lower end of the passage 58 and leads into the funnel 56, (see Fig. 8,) so that the nail while depending by its head in the slot 15 may pass out of such slot and be discharged into the funnel 56.

Arranged over the funnel 56 is a cove or recess 60, which may, if desired, be formed by cutting out the end of the strip 14, and arranged across the lower end of the slot 15 and having its upper edge substantially in the same plane as the lower ends of the strips 13 14 is a feed-slide 61, provided opposite each of the slots 15 with a notch 62 for the reception of the stem or shank of the nail, such notch 62 being of sufficient size to receive but one nail at a time. This feed-slide 61 is movable transversely of the slots 15, whereby the notches 62 may be caused to alternately register with said slots and the cove 60, thereby conveying a single nail from the slot 15 to the cove and in the meanwhile closing the slots 15 and preventing the further discharge of the nails therein. As the nail, which is shown at 3, is conveyed toward the cove 60 by the feed-slide 61 its stem or shank strikes against a cam 63 arranged under the slide 61 and tending toward the cove 60, as more clearly shown in Figs. 1 and 2, whereby as the slide moves toward the cove the nail will be forced out of the notch 62 and discharged into the cove 60, whence it drops into the funnel 56 and thence into the tube 57. It is very evident that the part which I have termed a cove 60 might be a part of the upper edge of the funnel 56; but for the sake of convenience in construction I have formed this cove 60 in the end of the strip 14, and it therefore virtually constitutes the up er edge of the funnel 56, bringing such upper edge flush with the slide 61, the edge of the cove 60 being beveled, as shown at 64, Fig. 2, to prevent the head of the nail from catching thereon.

The feed-slide 61 maybe mounted upon and secured to a bar 65, which is let into the face of the casting 55 and is held in place on one side by a plate 66 secured to the casting 55 by screws 67, while its other side is held in place by a plate 68, upon which the cams 63 are formed, such plate 68 being suitably secured to the casting 55. The plate 68 is of sufficient width to project upward beyond the cove 60, but such plate 68 is cut away around each of the slots 15 and the cove 60 on the lines 68, as shown in dotted lines in Fig. 2, so as to permit'of the passage of the nails 3 and at the same time of the cam 63.

The feed-slide 61 is secured to the bar by means of screws 69, whereby such slide may be removed and be replaced by another having the notches 62 of a different size when it is desired to feed nails of a different size.

In practice the nails, through one cause or another, sometimes catch on the ends of the strips constituting the slots 15 and obstruct the movement of the feed -slide 61 or the movement of any other mechanism designed to carry the nail from the slot to the funnel.

In order that this obstruction of the slide may not result in damage to the machine, I advance the slide with its notch toward the funnel by elastic meanssnch as a spring or other cushion-and return it to its notch opposite the slot by positive means, so that, in the event the slide should catch, the spring or cushion would cease to move it, and the said positive means on its return movement will carry the slide back to its normal position and dislodge the obstruction. These results may be best accomplished by providing one end of the bar 65 with a stem or rod 70, which projects through a box 71 and carries a coil-spring 7 2 bearing between such box and a nut or shoulder 73 on the stem 70, while the other end of the rod is provided with a loop 7 at through which passes a rising and falling cam-bar 7 5, whose attenuated end 7 6 permits the spring 72 to pull the slide 61 with its notches 62 toward the funnels.

For the sake of relieving friction the outer end of the loop 7 4 is constituted by an antifriction-roller 76. The cam-bar 75 may be actuated by any suitable connection with the operating mechanism of the machine proper, (not shown,) it being understood that such cam-bar 75 is so timed with the movement of the plungers or drivers as to move the feedslide 61 toward the funnels and discharge the nails under the plungers before the latter descend.

The nails in passing downward in the slots 15 frequently project at their lower ends to the right and to the left, and in order that this may not cause them to catch on the sides of the passages 58 such passages are beveled or rounded, as shown in Fig. 8, and also have their lower edges widened,as shown in Fig. 10.

Having thus described my invention, what I claim as new therein, and desire to secure by Letters Patent, is

1. A feeding mechanism for nailing-machines, having in combination a hopper provided in its bottom with a slot having depressed flanged edges, a fender resting on the bottom of said hopper and across said slot, and means for receiving the nails from said slot and delivering them to the nail-driving mechanism, substantially as set forth.

2. A feeding mechanism for nailing-machines, having in combination a hopper provided in its bottom with a slot having depressed flanged edges and a fender resting across said slot 011 the bottom of the hopper and being movable with relation to said bottom, substantially as set forth.

3. A feeding mechanism for nailing-machines, having in combination a frame, an inclined track along which the nails are fed, a hopper having a slotted bottom for the passage of the nails and being loosely pivoted to said frame and said bottom having projections registering with said inclined track, and links pivotally securing said hopper to said frame, substantially as set forth.

4. A feeding mechanism for nailing-machines having in combination a track for the nails to slide along, the casting arranged at the lower end of said track and being provided with slot 58 beveled or flared at its lower end, the passage 59 and the funnel-opening 56 communicating with said passage 59 and being arranged to one side of the slot 58, a cove arranged over said funnel-opening to one side of said track, a feed-slide having a notch adapted to communicate alternately with said track and said cove, and a cam arranged to push the nail from the notch in said feed-slide into said cove, substantially as set forth.

5. A feeding mechanism for nailing-machines having in combination the casting 55 provided with the slot 58 for the passage of the nail,and a f unnel-openin g communicating with said slot 58, a track for the nails to slide along, extending upwardly from said slot 58, the bar countersunk in said casting at the end of said track, a feed-slide detachably secured to said bar 65 and having a notch arranged opposite said track for receiving the nail, a cove located to one side of said track over said funnel-opening, the bar 66 secured to said casting and having its edge arranged between said bar 65 and slide 61 and the cambar 68 also secured to said casting on the other side of the bar 65 and having its edge projecting between said bar 65 and slide 61., substantially as and for the purpose set forth.

GEORGE GRUENDEL. Witnesses:

ARTHUR M. WILLARD, EDNA B. JoHNsoN. 

